Antiskidding rail-clamp mechanism.



A. E. WIRSING.

ANTISKIDDING RAIL CLAMP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29, 19M.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET! w /ew 9 HE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. 1'

A. E. WIRSING.

ANTISKIDQING RAIL CLAMP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 29 914- '1 1,1 Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IE NORRIS PETERS CD, PHOTO-LH'HQ. WASHINGTON. D C.

' g wwwyot):

ANDREW E. WIBSING, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

ANTISKIDD-ING RAIL-CLAMP MECHANISM.

Application filed October 29, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANDREW E. WIRSING, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antiskidding Rail-Clamp Mechanism; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in what is herein particularly set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims of this specification, its object being to provide traveling cranes with simple, economical and efficient anti-skid railclamps, the same being especially designed for such cranes as are employed in handling coal.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a side elevation of a fragment of a traveling crane, a fragment of an underlying track rail and an anti-skid rail-clamp mechanism in accordance with my invention applied to the crane; Figs. 2 and 3, cross-section views respectively indicated by line 22 and 33 in Fig. 1, with parts broken back, the weighted clutch-lever in Fig. 2 being elevated, and Figs. 4: and 5, cross-section views respectively indicated by lines 4 -1 and 55 in Fig. 2.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, 6 indicates each of a pair of side sills of a traveling crane carriage. Bolted in connection with the sills and brackets therewith are hanger-plates 7 and 8 for supports in the form of pins 9, said hangenplates being in pairs. The pins are secured in their connection with the hanger-plates by split-keys or other suitable means, and hung loose on said pins is a pair of frames to which a pair of horizontal tie-plates 10 are bolted. Bolted to each plate 10, to depend therefrom, is a bearing-box 11, and hung in the boxes is the pivot 12 of a pair of rail-gripping clamp-members 13. The upper end of each clamp-member is fashioned to straddle a nut 14:, and trunnions 15 of the nut engage recesses in branches of said clamp-member.

A right and left hand screw-spindle 16 engages the nuts 14:, and bearing-boxes 17 for the spindle are bolted on horizontal members 18 of the frames aforesaid. Keyed fast on one end of the spindle 16 is a clutchdisk 19, and loose on said spindle is another clutch-disk 20 having a shank 20. Bolted to the clutch-disk 20 and its shank is a lever Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Serial No. 869,171.

21, and fast on the outer end of the lever is a weight 22. The opposing faces of the clutch-disks 19 and 20 are radially toothed and held in mesh by a set-collar 23 on the spindle 16, said lever being adjustable to compensate for spreadof the rail-tread, and

also to compensatefor wear of parts of the mechanism. As shown in Fig. 2, the diskend 20 of the lever is held in clutch-engage ment with the disk 19 by the set-collar 23, which collar is loosened and moved outward on the spindle16 to permit adjustment of said lever.

The lower jaw-ends of the clamp-members are of suitable lengthand parallel to a track rail 24 upon which the carriage travels, the jaws being fashioned to grip upon the side of the rail-tread and to extend 111 under the same, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. The lever 21 being in the position shown, the screw-spindle 16 has been operated to move the upper ends of the clamp'members 13 outward and thus cause an inward gripping movement of their lower jaw-endsagainst the interposed rail, the gripping pressure being in proportion to the length of said lever and the preponderance of the weight thereon. To release the rail-clamp, a lift of the lever 21 is obviously necessary and the lifting operation may be accomplished by any suitable means, either mechanical or electric. The means herein shown is a cable 25 attached to the lever and trained on sheaves 26 suspended in brackets 27 attached to outer hanger-plates 7 and 8 of the can riage, the cable being led to a point convenient to the operator of said carriage. A slight movement of the lever 21'is sufiicient to release the grip of the jaw-ends of the clamping-members 13 from the interposed rail, and the inwardly extending flanges 28 of the jaws remain under the tread of said rail, as guards to prevent track jumping by truck-wheels of the carriage.

The frame carrying the clamp-mechanism being suspended loose on the pins 9 aforesaid, it is unaffected by lateral play of the carriage sills also aforesaid.

I claim:

1. A carriage, a framing with which the carriage has lateral play connection, a right and left hand screw-spindle for which the framing is provided with bearings, a weighted lever in adjustable connection with the spindle, a pivot mounted in said framing, rail-gripping clamp-members on the pivot,

[and spindle-engaging nutsheld in ends of the clamp-members.

e 2. A pair of parallelcarriage sills, hangers inoonnection with each sill, supports engaging the hangers, a framing in which the supports are loose, a right and left hand lever- Y :contnolledf screw-spindle for which the framing is provided with bearings, apivot moun ted in said framing, rail-gripping clamp members on'rthe pivot, and spindleengag ingnutsheld in ends of said clamp :Inember's.

.3; A carriage, a framing with Which the carriage has lateral play connection, 'a right and left hand screw-spindle for which the,

framing vis provided with bearings, a

, weighted lever in connection with the spinweighted lever loose on said spindle and having a clutch-end engaging the clutch member aforesaid, a pivot mounted in said framing, rail-gripping clamp-members on the pivot, and spindle-engaging nuts held in ends of said clamp-members.

5. A pair of parallel carriage sills, a frame hung in connection with each sill, tie-plates connected to the frames, boxes attached to said Plates, a pivot hung in the boxes, railgripping clamp-members on the pivots, other boxes With said frames, a lever-controlled right and left hand screw-spindle engaging the latter boxes, and spindle-engaging nuts held in ends of said clampmembers.

In testimony that I .olaim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in 'the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in th presence of two Witnesses.

ANDREW E. WIRSING.

Witnesses:

H. E. OLIPHANT, M. E. DOWNEY.

g'opies' this patent n ay be obtained, for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 13.0. 

